Golden Droplets
by MoonTitanessSelene
Summary: Persephone Jackson is banished by the gods due to accusations of treachery. She is injured and rescued by Kronos. She discovers that she was wrong about the Titans. How does the prophecy play out? What choices does Percy make? How does she cope with banishment? fem!Percy. good!Titans.
1. Chapter 1: Percy

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! This story follows canon until Percy jumps off the Princess Andromeda and Beckendorf dies in the explosion in _The Last Olympian _\- except for the fact that Percy's a girl (fem!Percy). I'm not sure about pairings yet, but I'm open to suggestions (although I'm already leaning towards fem!PercyxKronos). This will probably be the shortest chapter since it's more of a prologue than anything, although the next two chapters will be short as well! After that, the length will increase. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

**Percy POV**

Persephone Jackson ran through the forest, leaping over small bushes. She glanced down at her bleeding side. Dark liquid was gushing out despite the pressure she was placing on it with her hand. The demigoddess pressed down harder, gritting her teeth and ignoring the pain radiating from the wound.

She continued to run, occasionally looking over her shoulder. The hellhounds and dracaenae she was running from were gaining on her, she realized. Terror and adrenaline ran through Percy's body, allowing her to keep running, despite the blood loss.

The girl suddenly tripped over a rock and fell head first into a clearing. She tried to scramble back up, but something - a hellhound - pounced on her from behind, raking deep gouges down her back.

Percy screamed in pain. The weight lifted and she took the chance to sit up, only to find herself surrounded by the monsters that had been trying to kill her for hours.

"Not ssso ssstrong without your friendsss, are you, daughter of Possseidon?" hissed a dracaena.

The others laughed, closing in on their prey.

"I'm no daughter of Poseidon!" shouted Percy angrily, pushing herself up. She pulled Riptide out of her pocket and uncapped it.

The monsters looked taken aback for a moment, before one shrugged. "It matters not. Today, we shall feast on demigod flesh!"

With that, the dracaenae and hellhounds, all leapt at the half-mortal.

Percy ducked, making a few monsters kill each other. Golden dust rained down on her.

The demigoddess smirked at the small victory, and then beheaded a dracaena. The girl became a whirlwind of destruction, slicing everywhere, disintegrating monsters left and right. She paid no heed to the injuries being dealt to her, knowing that if she stopped for even a moment, she would die.

Finally, Percy plunged her sword through the chest of the last dracaena still standing. The demigoddess sighed in relief.

Suddenly, her legs gave out from under her. Percy collapsed onto her hands and knees, panting heavily. She took a moment to take stock of her wounds. In addition to her side wound, Percy had cuts all over. A few were shallow scratches, but most were deep gashes. The gouges on her back were bleeding heavily. A hellhound had bitten her left arm, practically tearing it off at the shoulder, before she killed it. A couple of her ribs were also broken.

All in all, Percy knew she didn't look good. Her clothes and skin were smeared with blood and gold dust. Her hair and face were most likely covered in both as well. The demigoddess doubted she would last long - she didn't even have nectar and ambrosia. Normally, in such a situation, Percy would pray to the gods, but that wasn't an option in this case. They had betrayed her, as had all her friends. She didn't even know what her own mother thought of her - Poseidon had only told Sally his side of the story. On the other hand, she _did_ know what her father thought of her. He thought she was a traitor - a useless daughter.

All the gods and demigods of Camp Half-Blood thought she had fallen in love with Luke and was spying for him.

_'What a joke,'_ thought Percy, bitterly. _'My teammate dies on a mission, and suddenly, I'm a good for nothing traitor. I get that Beckendorf's death was hard on everybody, but they didn't have to turn on me! I did nothing wrong. In fact, I tried to save his life! How could they just betray me like that? The gods had me banished from camp, and flashed me into the middle of some forest. At the very least, they could have flashed me somewhere safe! But no-'_

Percy cut her thoughts off. It wasn't a good idea to think like that, she knew. It wouldn't help her in the long run. It would just make her bitter and hopeless. And no matter what happened, she had remember the promise she made to the Hestia, the only person - mortal or immortal - that still believed she was innocent. She had to keep sight of hope. She could never give up.

And because of that promise, Percy forced herself back to her feet. She took a couple of staggering steps forward, and leaned against a tree. Percy rested for a moment, pressing her forehead against the tree. She was getting dizzy from the blood loss. She'd die soon, she knew, if she didn't get help.

Percy growled. She needed to get to civilization. Maybe a doctor could help her. She didn't have any money, but she might be able to manipulate the Mist to hide that.

Percy pushed herself off the tree, stumbling forward. The demigoddess trailed her hand along the tree trunks, using them to balance her and help support her weight. She took frequent rest stops, battling the blackness that was seeping into her vision with every step.

If Percy fell unconscious, she wouldn't wake up again. Instead, she'd find herself in the Underworld. And knowing Hades, he'd try to get her into the Fields of Punishment. She definitely wouldn't get into Elysium, let alone have a shot at the Isles of the Blest.

She refused to be miserable for as long as her spirit lived, so she kept moving, taking small steps forward.

One of those steps led to her tripping over a small bush. Percy fell, letting out a small scream as her wounds protested in agony. The demigoddess lay on the ground for a moment before trying to push herself back up.

She didn't make it.

Before she even managed to get into a sitting position, the blackness that had slowly been encroaching on her vision, took over.

The last thing Percy saw, before succumbing to unconsciousness, was a pair of concerned golden eyes.

**A/N: **One thing you should know: I will try to update once a week, but there is no guarantee since this is my second priority story. (My first priority is The Sea's Battle, which I totally suggest you read!)

Anyways, please let me know what you thought through reviews!


	2. Chapter 2: Kronos

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**A/N: **And here's chapter 2! Let me know what you all think! **I have an important question: Are you okay with Percy being suicidal or not? Let know by next chapter.**

**PiKing314: **I'll be updating this once a week on Tuesdays.

Also, this is now officially PercyxKronos due to popular request.

**Chapter 2**

**Kronos POV**

Kronos walked through the forest near his base. He needed to stretch his legs - it had been far too many millennia since he had last been in his true form. Thank Gaea, his children didn't know he was no longer trapped in the body of the son of Hermes or he wouldn't be able to afford even this small luxury.

Kronos found Luke to be an interesting character. Deep inside, the boy knew that the gods cared for him - that Hermes, at the very least, loved him. Yet, he chose to delude himself into thinking that they didn't. Kronos wondered how anybody could live like that.

Their end goals weren't the same, Kronos knew. But the path they chose to take to achieve those goals was.

Luke wanted to dispose of the gods to rule the world himself. Kronos, on the other hand, he-

The Titan was cut out of his thoughts as a scream pierced through the air. He took off at a sprint, stumbling a few times as he was still reacquainting himself with his true form.

He got to the clearing the scream had originated from in time to see a girl fighting for her life. The demigoddess - for she must have been one if she was fighting monsters - was quite skilled, from what Kronos could see. Even against ten or fifteen monsters, she was holding her own rather easily.

Easily, Kronos realized, but at a great cost. While gold dust was floating through the air in great quantities, red blood was being splattered everywhere as well.

Just as Kronos readied himself to step in and help the girl, he recognized her. It was Percy Jackson, the demigoddess he had defeated just a day or two ago.

He couldn't help her. She'd just try to kill him, and he'd likely end up killing her in self defense. So, instead of helping her, the Titan king forced himself to be content with watching the fight and being ready to intervene if her life was truly in danger.

He couldn't help but be impressed by the ferocity with which she fought. Even when her arm was practically snapped off by a hellhound, she continued to fight without hesitation. Finally, the girl killed the last monster - a dracaena.

Kronos turned to leave - the girl's friends would come and save her soon, after all - when he heard a thud. He pivoted back around, to find that the daughter of Poseidon had fallen to her knees and hands.

The Titan took a moment to examine her injuries. They were bad, he realized. She wouldn't survive long, if she was on her own. For her sake, Kronos hoped her friends were nearby.

The golden-eyed man watched the girl stagger to her feet, stubbornly forcing herself to walk forward. He wondered where she was headed. He had come from that direction, and he hadn't seen anybody for a few miles.

Kronos watched on in concern as she fell to the ground again, a small scream ripping out of her throat. The Titan managed to hold himself back from running towards the fallen demigoddess for a moment, but the second he realized she was falling into unconsciousness, he rushed forward. He watched her sea green eyes close before pulling a bottle of nectar out of his pocket. He dribbled some into her mouth, rubbing her throat to get her to swallow it.

Kronos knew that he couldn't give her much, lest she combust.

_'Where are her friends? Her father? Any of the gods, for that matter! I can't believe that they would leave their one chance at victory against me alone for even a second. Those fools!'_

Kronos groaned. He couldn't save her - especially since she could very well spell out his doom. But then he looked at Percy's face, innocent and peaceful in its unconscious state.

It wasn't her fault that she was fighting for the gods - they were all she'd ever known, after all.

The Titan groaned again, tearing off strips from his shirt. He stayed in the forest by her side for an hour, binding her wounds and hoping that somebody on the gods' side would show up and take her off his hands.

Unfortunately for him, nobody showed up, even after an hour.

Grunting, Kronos lifted the sleeping demigoddess carefully, holding her bridal style. She moaned a bit as she was jostled, but made no other sound or movement.

The Titan contemplated flashing to his palace on Mount Othrys, before deciding against it. He was still too weak in his true form. He hadn't gained enough power to transport both himself and another yet. Besides, even at full power, he couldn't risk flashing such an injured demigoddess anywhere. A mortal could very well die if their body wasn't strong enough to withstand the power that would run through them.

So instead of flashing, Kronos started walking, holding the unconscious demigoddess tightly, but gently, in his arms.

When he first began walking, he tried moving slowly to keep from jostling her too much. He soon discovered, however, that no matter how he walked, Percy would be in pain - her eyebrows would scrunch up and whimpers would escape her throat. He realized that it would be better for the demigoddess if he walked faster - the pain would end all the quicker.

Finally, several hours later, as Apollo was getting ready to retire his chariot for the night and Artemis was beginning to rise in the sky, Kronos reached his palace. He followed a secluded route to his chambers and laid Percy down on a bed in one off the guest bedrooms connected to his master one.

The Titan stared at her for a minute, contemplating how to tell the other Titans he had brought a demigod into the palace.

_'Well,'_ he thought wryly. _'The other Titans will be easy to tell - after all, they have the same goal as me. It's the demigods that follow me into battle that will be the hard ones to convince - especially Luke. Perhaps, I will only tell the Titans.'_

With that thought, Kronos went to his own bed and promptly fell asleep.

**A/N: **So what did you all think? I have an important question: Are you okay with Percy being somewhat suicidal or not? I need to know by the next chapter. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Percy

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**A/N: **By popular vote (and my personal preference) Kronos and Percy will end up together. Also, Percy will be somewhat suicidal. That aspect won't play a huge role in this story, though. Sorry I'm a couple of days late with this - I had a presentation I needed to prepare for one of my classes. Once again, this chapter is short. But next chapter will be at least 2,000 words to make up for the first three chapters' shortness. Please enjoy this chapter!

**Jasmine112: **No, Percy won't die.

**Diamondisamazeballs: **Most of those questions will be explained in chapter 4.

**Everyone else: **Thank you so much for the reviews and for replying to my questions!

**Chapter 3**

**Percy POV**

Percy groaned as sunlight hit her eyelids, drawing her back into consciousness. She opened her eyes and whimpered as a wave of pain hit her.

"Where am I?" she asked herself out loud, ignoring the pain coursing through her body in favor of scrutinizing the room she was in.

The theme of the room was clearly gold - the color was present everywhere. The walls, bedsheets, closets - all of them were golden.

"What happened?" she muttered, trying to remember how she got where she was.

Suddenly, all the memories came rushing back. Percy remembered falling unconscious after the fight. The last thing she had seen was a pair of golden eyes.

The demigoddess could only assume that the person those eyes belonged to had gotten her into the room somehow.

"Hello?" she called. "Is anybody there?"

Something stirred just outside her room. A moment later, the door to her room was opened to reveal a boy with black hair and golden eyes. He was tall, but not lanky; he was definitely muscular. He looked to be around the age of seventeen although his eyes seemed thousands of years old and filled with pain.

"Who are you?" asked Percy, her voice a little hoarse.

"Here. Drink this," said the man holding out a glass. "It's water with some nectar mixed in.

The man knew of the mythological world, Percy realized.

"You should probably toss me out, you know, and leave me to die," remarked the demigoddess bitterly, making no move to accept the glass. Grateful as she was for any form of aid, she couldn't allow an innocent to be harmed by the gods for simply helping her.

"Why?" asked the teenager, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if you're on Kronos' side, then you should know that I am - was - a daughter of Poseidon, which means I supposedly have the ability to kill your leader. If you're on Olympus' side, you need to know that I've been banished by the gods," Percy explained, keeping her voice neutral.

"Interesting. Either way, I have no intention of killing you."

"Who are you?" asked a wary Percy. A suspicion was forming in her mind. Only one person that she knew of had golden eyes...

"Come now, Persephone. You must have guessed by now," teased the teenager.

"You're Kronos," stated Percy, now sure.

"Yes. You are correct."

"What are you going to do to me?" asked Percy fearfully.

"Heal you," the Titan replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Very likely," Percy scoffed.

Immediately, the demigoddess mentally berated herself for not watching her tongue. She was at Kronos' mercy; she shouldn't have been antagonizing him.

Kronos only appeared amused. "I'm not as evil as the gods make me out to be. Now, are you going to take this or not?" He thrust the glass towards her.

Percy glared at the object suspiciously. She wasn't sure if Kronos had poisoned it. '_But,'_ she reasoned, '_if he wanted me dead, he'd just chop my head off and be done with it...'_

The girl tried to brace herself with her arms, in order to sit up. Immediately, she screamed and fell back, as pain shot through her left arm, particularly her shoulder. Her right arm protested in pain as well, but at least at bearable levels. Her left arm fell like it was being torn off. Her eyes closed and she panted as she struggled to keep herself conscious.

Percy felt a hand rub her cheek soothingly. A worried male voice repeatedly asked her if she was alright.

_'Kronos,'_ she thought, blearily. She opened her eyes and found herself looking into concerned golden eyes.

"I'm fine," coughed out the girl.

The Titan leaned back. "You don't look fine to me," he said, looking her up and down critically.

Percy ignored his statement. "Set the glass down near my head, would you?"

Kronos looked confused, but complied.

The demigoddess closed her eyes and concentrated. Since it was obvious that she was too wounded to physically hold the glass and drink the water, she had no choice but to use her powers. She imagined the water in the glass enclosing the nectar. When she felt that the water had followed her wishes, she willed the water to press downward into the bottom of the glass. Percy waited for the pressure to increase and then she released it. The water - still wrapped around the nectar - arced through the air. Percy maintained enough control over the water to guide it towards her mouth. The cool liquid easily slipped down her throat and relief swept through her body.

Percy opened her eyes to see Kronos staring at her in shock. "You are powerful, daughter of Poseidon."

Percy's eyes narrowed. "I am no daughter of Poseidon! He has disowned me and I have no wish to be related to someone that considers me a traitor."

"I was under the impression that Poseidon favored you."

Percy laughed, but there was no humor present in the sound. Instead, it was distant and cold. "As was I. It seems we were both wrong. When I failed to bring my quest mate back on my last mission, the campers and gods decided I left him to be killed purposefully and I was a traitor. Apparently, I fell in love with your host... Speaking of which, where is Luke? I thought you still required a host."

"I regained my true form faster than we had predicted. Luke is now the leader of my half-blood army," explained the Titan. "Did you?"

"Did I what?" Percy asked, confused.

"Did you fall in love with Castellan?" clarified Kronos.

"No. We were good friends before he left, but I never felt any attraction towards him," Percy stated with certainty.

"I see... I need to tell the other Titans that you are here. I will be back. A few of them might want to come to see you," warned Kronos. "Don't try to get out of here. You'll just end up killing yourself."

Kronos left quickly, leaving Percy to her thoughts. The demigoddess contemplated trying to leave, but she doubted she even had the strength to stand up.

_'I guess I'll just stay here and see how this plays out,' _decided Percy. _'If I feel like Kronos or one of the other Titans means me harm, I'll escape.'_

With that thought in mind, the demigoddess lay there, waiting for the Titan king to return.

**A/N: **I hope you all liked this. Do you want Luke to fall in love with Percy even though she won't reciprocate? Please review.


	4. Chapter 4: Kronos

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**A/N:** I'm sorry... again. Okay, new updating rule. I will update once a week - not necessarily on Tuesday. That most likely means this will be on the same updating schedule as The Sea's Battle. After reading all the reviews, I have decided to make Percy and Luke's relationship a sibling-like one - if it gets that far. Also, Percy will be suicidal, but it won't be a central theme to the story. It'll just be there, hanging in the background, somewhat motivating Kronos's actions. Anyways, enjoy the chapter. It's more than twice as long as the last one.

**Jasmine112: **This is before Percy and Annabeth got together. Besides, in this story, Annabeth is a girl, not a boy.

**Everyone: **Thanks for the reviews and support!

**Chapter 4**

**Kronos POV**

Kronos stepped into the council chambers of the Titans palace. He sent out a pulse of power, alerting his fellow Titans that a meeting was about to commence. A moment later, several Titans appeared in flashes of light. Kronos nodded at each one, acknowledging his brethren.

The Titans sat on their thrones, leaving only the one next to Kronos's empty. It had belonged to Rhea. Kronos felt a pang of remorse at the reminder of his wife's fading, before anger overtook it. Rhea had betrayed him, he reminded himself.

"Kronos, why have you summoned us?" asked Hyperion, the Titan of light.

"I went out for a walk in the forest, yesterday," began Kronos. "I was a couple of miles away from here, when I heard a scream."

Several Titans raised disbelieving eyebrows. Their palace was on top of a mountain and was heavily veiled by the Mist. It was unlikely that anybody would be anywhere near their palace.

"I followed the sound of the scream and came to a clearing. There was a girl - a demigoddess - fighting ten monsters at once."

"You helped her, of course," said Tethys, Titaness of fresh water.

Kronos ducked his head, slightly embarrassed. "Not quite. I was about to, but then I recognized her. It was Percy Jackson, daughter of Poseidon."

The council broke into a myriad of questions. However, everyone fell silent when Iapetus, Titan of mortality, asked, "So you just left her to die?"

Kronos hesitated. "I'm not sure what I would have done if she needed help," he confessed.

Iapetus growled angrily. Ever since Percy had refused to kill him in the Underworld, instead, choosing to only wipe his memories, the Titan had been fiercely protective of her. He even ordered their army to refrain from killing her - not that he needed to. The daughter of Poseidon had no trouble destroying any of the monsters they sent after her.

"But," continued Kronos, "I didn't need to help her. She killed all of the monsters herself."

Several gasps of awe sounded in the room.

"Unfortunately, she collapsed - probably from blood loss. She managed to get up and stagger forward for a bit before she fainted. I waited for a while, in case someone came to get her. After an hour, I grabbed her and started the journey back. She's currently resting in one of the guest bedrooms attached to my room."

"Has she awoken yet?" asked Krios, the Titan of the South.

"Yes. Percy knows who I am, and that you are all here as well. She told me she was banished and disowned by the gods and campers," explained the Titan of time.

"I want to see her!" announced Iapetus.

"We shall go as well," said Tethys and Oceanus, Titan of the sea. "Persephone is a child of the sea. We would like to meet her."

"Of course," agreed Kronos. "I believe that the rest of you should meet her at a later date. There is no need to scare her or overwhelm her. Meeting dismissed."

Seven Titans flashed out, leaving the four that would visit Percy behind.

"Come," said Kronos. "I would flash us there, but I still do not have enough strength to. We'll have to walk."

"That's fine," said Iapetus. "Just get us there quickly."

Kronos nodded and led his fellow Titans through the twisting hallways and stopped in front of a door next to his bedroom.

The Titan of time knocked on the door. "Persephone! I've brought several Titans to see you."

"Come in," called a strained voice.

Kronos opened the door. Iapetus immediately darted past him, rushing to Percy's bedside. "Percy!" he exclaimed.

"Bob?" questioned Percy, eyes widening as she realized the Titan of mortality must have regained his memories.

"I'm not Bob, anymore," replied Iapetus. "Mnemosyne returned my memories to me."

"Oh." Percy seemed to shrink into the bed as much as she could.

"I'm not mad," the kneeling Titan hurried to reassure her. "On the contrary, I'm glad you wiped my memory. First, because you didn't kill me. And second, because I had more fun than I'd had in a long time, without my memories. Thank you."

Percy narrowed her eyes in consideration. "It was no trouble," she finally replied, pain leaking into her voice. "Well, it was somewhat difficult lifting the Lethe like that, but it was definitely easier to just wipe your mind than fight you."

Iapetus stood up and looked at the daughter of Poseidon critically. "Kronos," he said, turning on his brother. "You didn't tell us she was this badly injured. You should have stepped in during the fight. We've been over this before. We agreed that if we came across a lone demigod fighting more than two monsters, we would help the demigod."

"I was worried she'd try to fight me," protested Kronos. "If she was about to die, I would have stopped the dracaenae and hellhounds. Persephone was perfectly safe."

Iapetus just glared at the Titan of time. He turned his attention back to the daughter of Poseidon. "Whatever the case, her life is slipping away. I can sense her mortality being stretched to its limits. Tethys, Oceanus, can you two heal her with water?" he asked.

"We can try," Oceanus replied. The Titan couple had been studying the demigoddess and analyzing her injuries. "Unfortunately, she is a daughter of Poseidon - disowned, or not. Water that is under Poseidon's domain would be far more effective than water under our domain. We will do what we can."

Tethys, the better healer of the two, stepped forward and pulled water out of a jug that was on a table near Percy's bed. "May I?" she asked the demigoddess.

Percy nodded hesitantly.

She gently directed the liquid over the demigoddess's body, making Percy sigh in relief as the water began its healing work. Several of the smaller cuts closed as the water made contact, but the larger, more vicious wounds remained painful, although no longer life threatening. The arm that had almost been bitten off would probably require being kept in a sling for quite a while, but at least it wasn't barely attached to Percy's torso any longer.

"That's all I can do," said Tethys, releasing her control over the water.

Iapetus regarded Percy critically. "It has made a big difference. You've greatly decreased the strain on her mortality. You'll have to stay in bed and off your feet as much as possible, of course, for a few days. Other than that, you should be fine. I could try healing you, but I don't like messing with life and death unless I absolutely have to."

"Th-thank you," stuttered the girl, pain obviously still flooding through her body.

"It was nothing," said Tethys warmly.

"Once you're healed, we'd like to teach you what we can about controlling water, if that's alright with you," offered Oceanus.

"I'd like that, I think," replied Percy. "Fa- Poseidon never taught me anything, so my control over water is more instinctive than methodical."

Oceanus's eyes widened. "You are remarkably strong for having not been trained at all. I wonder what you'll be able to do when Tethys and I have taught you what we can."

"Wh-why would you teach me?" asked Percy, confused. "I'm your enemy."

"You're not, Percy," said Iapetus in a gentler tone than Kronos had ever heard from him before. "You're part of our family."

"That doesn't change the fact that we're enemies," Percy insisted.

"The Olympians have truly deluded you, haven't they?" asked Iapetus sadly. "Everything they have taught you is wrong. Yes, Kronos killed his father, Ouranos, but only because he kept reaching towards his wife, Gaea. The sky was coming close to crushing all life on the earth.

"Later, Kronos ate his children. However, he only did this because there was a prophecy that said one of his children would destroy the world through his arrogance. As much as it hurt him to eat his children, Kronos had to keep the prophecy from coming true. But then, Rhea, blinded by her love for her children, betrayed her husband and saved Zeus. Thus, the First Titanomachy began. The gods defeated us, unfortunately."

Kronos bit his lip at the reminder of his wife's betrayal.

"But now that all of us, except for Rhea, have risen once more, we are going to begin the Second Titanomachy. We need to win this war in order to save the world.

"We don't have anything against you or any of the demigods. You have merely been deluded by the gods. But if you fight against us, we have no choice to fight against you," finished Iapetus.

Percy stayed quiet for a few minutes, clearly trying to process all the information she had just received through the haze of pain that clouded her mind. "How do I know that you're not lying?" she finally asked.

"I swear on the Styx that everything I just said is true," said the Titan of mortality.

Thunder resounded through the palace of the Titans.

As hard as it was to believe that everything all mortals knew from myths and first-hand experience was a lie, Percy had no choice but to believe an oath on the Styx.

"I believe you." Percy blushed and smiled weakly. "And I have to admit, I think I like the idea of having a family. I only ever had my mother - and my step-father, I suppose. And then I had the demigods and gods for a few years, but I suppose they weren't really family if they turned their back on me so easily. And I think mum will probably think I betrayed them, too, if Poseidon has his way."

Kronos hadn't missed how the girl's tone had darkened when she mentioned her step-father. Fear and pain had flashed through her eyes, before disappearing to be replaced by the usual humor that the Titan now recognized as a mask. He was curious about what made her so upset at the mention of the man but recognized she probably wouldn't be open about explaining in front of such a large audience. "Oceanus, Tethys, Iapetus, why don't you go an call another council meeting. We need to have someone with Percy at all times. The council can decide on who should stay with her. Meanwhile, I'll keep her company."

"Good idea," said Iapetus. "Come. Let's go. I'll see you later, Percy."

With nods towards Percy and Kronos, Iapetus, Oceanus and Tethys left the chambers.

"You step-father - you don't like him?" asked Kronos, getting straight to his question.

Percy jerked back, wincing as she pulled on her side wound. "Wh- what do you mean?"

"I saw the way you reacted when you mentioned him," explained Kronos, sitting next to Percy on the bed.

Percy nodded slowly looked away from the Titan of time. "I don't like to talk about it."

"I understand," replied Kronos, now worried. He'd found himself becoming attached to the demigoddess in an oddly short time. Something about her bravery and determination just resonated with him. He wondered what could make her react with so much volatility.

"I suppose I can trust you, though," added Percy, regarding him thoughtfully.

"Of course," said Kronos. "I won't tell the others if you don't want me to."

Percy gave the smallest of smiles. "Help me sit up?" she requested suddenly.

Kronos frowned at the sudden change of topic. "You're sure? I don't want you to get hurt any more badly."

"I'm sure." Percy's smile became bigger.

The golden-eyed Titan nodded and wrapped arm around her waist, using the other to stabilize her left arm. Percy pushed up with her right hand and somehow the two managed to get her sitting and leaning against the headboard.

"I hate him," said Percy suddenly.

Kronos's eyes widened at the malevolence in her voice. "Your step-father?" he clarified.

"Yeah." She nodded. "He's dead now, though, so I suppose I can't complain much," added the demigoddess thoughtfully.

"Dead?" questioned Kronos.

Percy hummed. "I gave mum Medusa's head and she used it on him to turn him into a stone statue. He's up on exhibit in a museum."

Kronos stared at her, surprised by the levity in her voice. "How can you speak so lightly of his death? He took care of you, didn't he, for most of your life?"

Percy reached down to the hem of her shirt with her right hand, grimacing slightly. She lifted the material to the middle of abdomen, revealing an ugly burn about two inches in diameter.

The Titan sucked in breaths at the cruel wound as well as the multitude of scars surrounding it.

Percy pointed at the burn. "He did this to me when I was eight."

Kronos interpreted the silence that followed as a sign that she'd been abused by the disgusting man from far before then. "_Gaea_," he cursed. His hand reached out towards the burn before stopping a short distance from it. He looked up to meet Percy's green eyes.

"Go ahead," she invited him softly.

Closing the distance between their skin, Kronos brushed his fingers against the puckered skin gently. His hand seemed to move of its own accord, gravitating to the many scars around it. "And these?" he asked.

"Most are from him," replied Percy. "A few are from my time as a demigod, though."

Kronos continued to lightly trace the scars as he sat next to the demigoddess. His respect for her grew as he took in the symbols of the pain she had undergone. "I don't know how you are still so..."

Percy glanced at him, urging him to continue.

"...So kind, I suppose. If it was anyone else, they would be bitter, angry at the world for what happened to them."

When the Titan looked her in the eyes again, he was taken aback by the raw pain and hurt in them.

"Who says I'm not?" The demigoddess laughed bitterly. "My fatal flaw simply doesn't allow me to take my anger out on those who don't deserve it. That doesn't mean I'm not bitter." A broken sob escaped her. "I tried drowning myself, once, you know. When I was nine. I failed, of course."

Kronos stared at her horror stricken. "You tried committing suicide?"

Percy nodded, eyes closed.

"Why didn't you try again some other way when that failed?" he questioned.

"My mother came home before I could. When I saw her... I knew that I had to stay. I had to protect her as much as I could from Gabe. And I couldn't let her go through the pain of losing me," she explained.

"And now?" questioned Kronos, lifting his hand from her abdomen, instinctively, to brush it against her cheek. "Would you still kill yourself if you didn't feel needed?"

"Yes."

The one word, spoken so certainly, tore Kronos's reality apart. How could someone who was as helpful, as _nice_ as Percy be suicidal? How could nobody have seen through the facade that she so clearly put up? He wondered if her demigod family truly cared for her so little that they hadn't discovered what he had within the first few hours of knowing her.

"Well, then," he said, drawing himself out of his thoughts, "I suppose I'll have to make you think otherwise."

Percy gave a weak smile. "Thank you," she said.

And Kronos knew that all she wanted was a family that cared about her. That truly wanted to help her and loved her.

**A/N: **Please tell me how you liked it. I did a lot of rewriting in the second half of the chapter, so let me know if I made some mistakes. I'll go back and fix them. I also can't remember if I edited this, yet. Sorry. Anyways, please review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**A/N: **This chapter is more in depth about Kronos. Also, from this chapter onwards I will be switching between POVs in the chapter itself, so don't be surprised. Enjoy. **THERE'S AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER.**

**The Secret of the Blade: **Hestia and Hades are on the side of the Olympians - they are children of Kronos, after all. But, truth be told, Hestia is more neutral and Hades has a soft spot for Percy.

**fearlessshadowhunter: **I love the idea!

**The Defiant Child: **Totally!

**Chapter 5**

Percy was surprised to find herself confessing her innermost thoughts to Kronos. To the person that had been her enemy only a few hours ago. And yet...

Somehow it felt right to trust him.

And he understood. He didn't judge her for feeling the way she did. He only promised to prove to her that she didn't need to feel that way. And she was grateful.

So she thanked him.

And he had nodded, realization flashing across his face, letting her know that he had received her message.

He stood up a few minutes later, interrupting the peaceful, thoughtful silence that had enveloped them. "We should get some nectar into you," he announced.

Percy was about to nod in agreement when the door to her room opened and Iapetus entered, shutting the door behind him and locking it.

"Iapetus? What's wrong?" asked Kronos, looking at his brother in concern.

"Ethan Nakamura, Luke's second in command caught wind of Percy's presence. He told Castellan. Most of the demigods are coming here to ask us to turn her over to them," explained the Titan of mortality.

"What has the council decided to do about this?" asked Kronos.

"They are going to try to reason with the half-bloods, but they refuse to resort to violence to protect Percy. They are only buying us time to get her out of here and to safety."

Kronos growled lowly. "We'll have to take her to Atlas, for now. The small shelter we've built there in secret will come in handy."

Iapetus nodded. "I told the council that was where we would most likely be. On the off chance that they manage to convince Luke that we can get Persephone to switch sides, they will come and get us. Otherwise, we'll have to take turns watching over her."

Percy small, hoarse voice interrupted their conversation. "Wh- why are you helping me?" She was still insecure about their motivation. After all, one family had abandoned her. Why not this one as well?

"Because," said Kronos, voice oddly gentle, "you've always fought for what you thought was right. You don't deserve to die simply because you were deluded by those you trusted. Come on, now. Let's get you out of here."

Iapetus nodded. "I'll leave a false trail and then cover the one you leave. I'll also grab a bunch of ambrosia and nectar. Be safe." With that, the Titan grabbed a leather bag and filled it to the brim with godly food and drink, before running out the door.

Kronos stepped towards Percy. "This will hurt," he warned, sliding his hands under her injured body.

Percy took a deep breath and nodded to let the Titan know she was ready. A sharp cry of pain left her lips as she was lifted off the bed, followed by a series of whimpers and moans as Kronos began to walk.

Kronos hushed her. "You'll be fine. I need you to be quiet, though, until we get to the shelter. We can't let any of the demigods hear you."

Percy bit her lip and pressed her face into Kronos's chest, to keep any of the occasional whimpers that slipped past her lips from being heard. She didn't pay attention to where they were going, too consumed by the pain radiating through her body. When Kronos finally set her down, she was unable to stop the small, shrill scream as her wounds were jostled.

"It's okay, Percy. You're safe now," comforted Kronos, rubbing her cheek with his thumb to calm her.

The girl opened her eyes and glanced around. They were in a small one-room cave. She was lying on one of the two cots. Other than the beds and a small table, the cave was bare. "Thank you," she said, voice trembling slightly.

Kronos gave her a small smile and sat down on the bed next to hers. "Have you given thought to the story Iapetus told you about what really started the Titanomachy?"

Percy nodded. "I have."

"Will you fight with us?"

"Yes," said Percy, putting as much determination behind the single word as she could. "I will."

Kronos grabbed her left hand and squeezed it in a show of gratitude.

"How about that nectar now?" she asked, right hand pressed against her left shoulder in pain.

"Of course." The Titan pulled out the vial of godly drink he had put in his pocket just before leaving the chambers. "Would you prefer to sit up to drink it, or would you rather use the same trick you did earlier with your water powers?"

"I'd rather sit up." Percy smiled wryly, releasing her shoulder, to brace herself against the bed as Kronos wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up again to lean against the wall the cot was set against.

She allowed Kronos to press the vial of nectar against her lips and drank the contents, sighing the as the relief hit her body, several wounds closing up further.

* * *

Kronos had to admit he was impressed by Persephone Jackson.

Despite having her whole world falling apart around her, the girl remained strong and firm in her desire to save the world - even if that meant switching sides. There weren't many that could say they had the strength to admit they were wrong and then try to fix their mistakes - especially not when those mistakes had almost inadvertently caused the end of the world.

Yet here was a girl - one that wasn't even sixteen years old, yet, if he was correct - that had done just that, he mused, holding a small vial of nectar to Percy's lips.

"This is probably the worst birthday ever," remarked Percy, sighing.

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "It's your birthday today?"

Percy hummed. "Yeah." She frowned. "I never did find out what that prophecy was, after all."

"Which prophecy?" asked the Titan king, interested despite himself.

"There was one about my sixteenth birthday," replied Percy. "I always figured they'd tell me what it is today, but..."

"You don't know the prophecy?" asked Kronos, shocked.

"No. You do?"

He nodded. "I can't believe those fools. According to the prophecy, you would decide their fates, and not only do they banish you, they don't even tell you the prophecy!"

Percy shrugged. "The gods do that a lot. They believe in the 'need to know basis only' strategy. What is the prophecy, though?"

Kronos closed his eyes in recollection. "I'm not sure if it matters now, anyways, but I'll recite it for you.

_"A half-blood of the eldest gods_

_"Shall reach sixteen against all odds_

_"And see the world in endless sleep_

_"The hero's soul cursed blade shall reap_

_"A single choice shall end her days_

_"Olympus to preserve or raze"_

"Well," said Percy after a moment, "that's not foreboding at all. But I think it did come true - or most of it, anyways."

"What do you mean?" asked Kronos, brow furrowed.

"Well, the prophecy said that when I reached sixteen, I would see the world in endless sleep. I suppose that could be referring to illusion mortals are living under - that the gods were the good guys. It also said I would make a choice that would either save or end Olympus. I decided to side with you guys. I'm guessing that means the gods will lose. Of course, I still have to die - that bit about my soul being reaped by a cursed blade - but that's something to worry about later."

"Stop talking about your death like it's nothing," chided Kronos softly.

"Look, after this whole thing ends, even if I do survive, I'll probably end up killing myself, anyways. I honestly don't see the difference if I die because of some prophecy!" she exclaimed.

"Your life matters," said Kronos angrily. "Even if you don't see it, yet." Seeing from her expression that she wasn't believing anything he said, the Titan added, "We'll try to keep you away from any cursed blades."

Percy smiled wryly. "That'll be hard to do. My sword, Riptide, is cursed. Your scythe is cursed. A lot of weapons carry curses. You'd be hard pressed to find one that hasn't been freshly forged that isn't cursed."

"I suppose. Still, the day's almost up and you're not dead."

The demigoddess shook her head. "The prophecy doesn't say I'll die today. I think it just says that I will - would - make my choice today. Somewhere down the line, my decision to side with the Titans will get me killed."

"You sound rather certain of that," remarked Kronos.

"I've had a lot of practice deciphering prophecies." Percy grinned widely then frowned. "I wonder what's keeping Iapetus."

"He will probably be here soon. It _does_ take time to negotiate with those demigods, though," replied the Titan king, rolling his eyes. "They're a bunch of spoiled brats. We're at war! They can't expect us to provide them with television and computers and phones."

"They actually asked for those?" Percy snickered.

Kronos nodded, black hair falling into his golden eyes. "Apparently, now that they're not worried about monsters trying to kill them, they want to get ahold of as much technology as possible."

"They really are idiots..." Percy hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I've been meaning to ask: how is Luke?

Kronos understood what the girl was really asking. "He's consumed by his bitterness. He speaks of tearing the gods down from their thrones and forcing them to be his slaves. He wants to be a god himself and to have the Olympians understand what it is like to be ruled over as they rule over the demigods."

Percy cocked her head thoughtfully. "I understand where he's coming from. He's tired of being used and not receiving any gratitude - all us demigods are."

"Why don't all the ones at Camp Half-Blood side with him, then?" asked Kronos.

"Because we've been led to believe that you Titans are a bunch of man-eaters that want us humans as slaves," explained Percy. "You aren't, though. Right?"

Kronos shook his head in disgust. "Just because I ate my children to save the world - which went against my every instinct, by the way - everyone assumes that I would eat anyone!"

"How did you do it?" asked Percy softly. "Eat your own children, I mean. It must have been hard."

Kronos's eyes darkened. "It was the most difficult thing I ever did, but I had to. I didn't want to see them grow into tyrants and destroy the very things they were meant to protect."

"And now?" questioned Percy, still speaking softly. "Now that you are going to war with your offspring?"

"I don't love them anymore. They may be my children, but I can't love them when I know they will eventually bring this world to ruin - when I know they killed me so that they could become tyrants."

"They knew that they were destined to destroy the Earth if they lived?"

Kronos nodded. "I told them during the Titanomachy. The said they didn't care. They just wanted the throne."

Percy snarled, muttering some choice insults under her breath. "I always knew they were self-centered, but I figured they at least had the mortals best interests at heart!"

Just then, Iapetus came running in. "Percy, Kronos, good news! Luke's agreed to talk to you, Percy. He wants to see if you've really changed sides."

**A/N: **What did you guys think? Was it any good? How do you want Luke to react next chapter? What do you want Percy to say? Please review!

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: ****I'M CUTTING UPDATES DOWN TO ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS. I'M IN THE HOME STRETCH OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AND I CAN'T BALANCE MY STUDIES WITH MY WRITING - ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE IMPORTANT COLLEGE-LEVEL TEST I HAVE COMING UP. SORRY ABOUT THIS, BUT I WILL STILL UPDATE. (IF POSSIBLE, I'LL GET THE UPDATES OUT TO YOU SOONER, BUT NO GUARANTEES. AT THE MOMENT, THE NEXT UPDATE WILL OCCUR ON APRIL 17.)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**A/N: **Hey guys! Long time, no see! I got this out a bit earlier than expected. Please read the message to everybody. It's super important.

**Peetato1989: **I have absolutely no clue who the subject of the prophecy will end up being. :(

**Jasmine112: **Thanks for the correction!

**Everybody: **Thank you all so much for your support. I regret to inform you that due to the fact that one of my test dates got switched around, **after this update, I, once again, will not be updating till at least June 5. I am so sorry. I WILL NOT FORGET THIS STORY, THOUGH, OR DISCONTINUE IT. THANKS SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME THROUGH ALL OF THESE BUMPS, GUYS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PM ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.**

**Chapter 6**

Percy bit her lip. "You're sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

Kronos had carried Percy to the palace's small meeting room. She was sitting on the sofa, reclining. Kronos had taken the seat next to her.

There would be only two representatives from each side of the conflict. The Titans had decided Kronos would be the best choice to accompany Percy, especially since he was the king.

They were waiting for the demigods to send their representatives.

"Yes," replied Kronos. "The demigods need to see that you're on their side."

Percy sighed and let her head fall back against the armrest. "Do you have any more nectar or ambrosia?"

Kronos nodded and unstoppered a vial of nectar. He moved to sit behind Percy and supported her weak body with his as she drank down the godly liquid.

When Kronos went to move, Percy grabbed his had. "Stay, please. I'd rather face Luke sitting up."

Kronos acquiesced and relaxed into the sofa with Percy leaning against his chest at a sideways angle. One hand was around her waist to keep her steady. The Titan wasn't sure why, but he was glad that Percy wanted him to stay where he was.

Before Kronos could dwell on those odd feelings, Luke and Ethan came in, glares plastered on their faces. They sat down on the couch opposite Percy and Kronos.

"Now that we're all here," said Kronos, "the meeting can commence."

"Percy Jackson," sneered Ethan, "why should we believe you're truly sided with us?"

"They - the gods - banished me," replied tersely, ignoring his tone.

Luke's eyes widened and something akin to regret flashed across his face. "You have proof?"

Percy shook her head. "Not really. I could swear on the Styx, if you like."

Luke arched an eyebrow. "Be my guest."

Kronos felt Percy take a deep breath before she said, "I swear on the River Styx that the gods have banished me, that Poseidon has disowned me, that the demigods of Camp Half-Blood have cut all ties with me and that I owe them no loyalty."

Thunder sounded, sealing the girl's oath.

Luke grinned, face softening, but added, "I need you to sear that you are loyal to our cause."

Percy shook her head. "I won't. I owe no loyalty to you, either. I am grateful, yes, that the Titans saved my life, but I owe them no loyalty for it. My intention is to aid the mortals. They are innocents caught in the crossfire of immortal forces. After hearing the Titans story, I have come to believe that this side has the makings of the best rulers."

Luke pursed his lips and stared at Percy for a long moment. Finally, he said, "Ethan, Lord Kronos, I need to speak to her in private."

Ethan just huffed and stalked out of the room.

Kronos, on the other hand, shook his head. "Absolutely, not. Percy is helpless right now. How do I know you won't take advantage of the situation and kill her?"

Luke sighed. "I swear on the Styx that I won't harm Percy."

Thunder rang through the palace sealing the oath with a resounding boom.

Kronos narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded. "Fine. I'll trust you. Don't make me regret it."

Luke nodded smoothly. "Of course not."

Kronos gently slid out from under Percy and helped her lean back against the sofa. He looked her in the eye and left only once she had nodded her agreement with Luke's wishes.

* * *

"What do you want, Luke?" asked Percy hoarsely, once the others had left the room.

Luke suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Percy in a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry," he breathed.

Percy blinked in surprise and slowly raised her right arm to reciprocate the embrace. "I- What for?"

"For having to act like I was suspicious of you." Luke let go of her and instead sat next to her, one arm sliding across her back for support.

Bemused, Percy leaned into his arm, which allowed her to sit up properly. "Luke… I- What? I'm confused."

"Perce, I didn't care for a second that you stuck around on the side of the gods. You were still like a little sister to me. And now that you're here… Well, there's little else I could ask for. I only questioned you because I didn't want Ethan to suspect I have a soft spot for you."

A soft smile spread across Percy's face. Truth be told, she had cared about Luke even though he had betrayed her. To hear that he, too, regarded her in the same light made her more content with her decision to side with the Titans.

"What happened to you?" he asked as she relaxed further into him. He gestured to the myriad of injuries decorating her body.

Percy grimaced. "I was attacked by a dozen hellhounds and dracanae after the gods banished me - they flashed me to a forest and left me there. Kronos found me when I was dying of blood loss. He saved me."

"He's been obsessed with you since you left your mother behind in Hades's clutches and then defeated Ares when you were twelve." There was an oddly protective inflection in Luke's voice when he added, "He truly seems to care for you."

Percy hummed in agreement. "I wonder why. I mean, I was his enemy until just recently."

"I was his host for a while," stated Luke, "and that gave me some access to his mind. I can practically guarantee that he never hated you. He actually admired you, oddly enough. He didn't even want to attack you in the Labyrinth or aboard the Andromeda!"

Percy raised a curious eyebrow, prodding Luke to continue.

"If you ask me, he has a crush on you," Luke teased.

"Luke!" exclaimed the demigoddess in shock. "What the Hades are you even saying?! Kronos does not have a crush on me!"

Luke just smirked. "You'll see."

"Gods, you're insane." Percy shook her head, chuckling.

Luke laughed before turning serious. "Promise me that if he does pursue a relationship with you, you'll give him a chance."

Percy's jaw dropped. "He's my grandfather!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. You were hardly treating him like your grandfather when I came in."

Percy blushed as she recalled their intimate position.

"Besides, he's physically seventeen. Not to mention, familial relationships that aren't between parent and child or siblings don't matter in our world."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "You do realize he's immortal, right?"

"Someone's thinking long term," Luke teased gently. "There are the apples of immortality from the Garden of the Hesperides. So, promise me?"

Percy sighed. "I promise."

Luke grinned. "Great! Now, how long do you think it will be before you're up and fighting again?"

"A couple of days?" Percy shrugged. "I'll probably need to keep my arm in a sling, though - a hellhound almost bit it clean through."

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "What?!"

* * *

An hour later, Kronos entered the room to find Luke and Percy chatting away like old friends. An odd feeling bubbled uncomfortably in his stomach. He cleared his throat, causing their eyes to shoot towards him.

"I take it Luke has accepted you, then?" he asked wryly.

Percy nodded with a small smile.

Luke glanced at this watch. "I should probably get going; I need to attend training." He stood up, slipping out from under Percy and pecking her on the cheek.

Oddly enough, Percy didn't so much as blush. "See you later!"

Luke left, brushing by Kronos. He paused long enough to whisper, "You'd better take good care of her. She's like a sister to me and if there's even one hair out place on her head the next time I see her, you're dead."

The uncomfortable feeling in Kronos's stomach vanished as he nodded. Luke left and the Titan quickly made his way over to Percy. He picked up her frail, exhausted body. "Let's get you to your room for some nectar and sleep."

**A/N: **So, in case you couldn't tell, Kronos is currently in denial - or maybe he's just oblivious. Regardless, he's got a little crush on Percy. Next chapter will be some Luke and Percy bonding - and Percy will finally be up on her feet again. (I was getting a little tired of writing helpless!Percy, regardless of how much cute Kronercy scenes I got to write because of it.)

Anyways, please give me suggestions on how you want the other demigods to react to Percy. And are there any specific relationships you want me to develop alongside the relationships Percy will have with Tethys, Oceanus, Iapetus, Kronos, and Luke?

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7: Percy

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**A/N: **Hey guys! Long time, no see! You all know the about the issues with my wrist. It's still a bit off and definitely pretty weak, so updates are still going to be limited. However, I do have two weeks of winter break coming up, so I hope I'll be able to get out at least one update during that time. Thank you all so much for your support; I was so worried that many of you would ditch this story. Please feel free to PM me with any questions you have or to review them. PMs will probably be answered more promptly, though. (But I prefer reviews.)

I was going to write up an update to _The Sea's Battle_ first, but then I realized I hadn't written a chapter for _Golden Droplets_ in even longer, so here we are.

I'm responding to all the reviews together because there are just so many (I won't be putting names down individually next to each response):

First, thank you all for your patience. Second, I want to clarify that this is an AU of The Last Olympian from the point after Beckendorf's death. Next, I love the idea of making Alabaster and Percy friends. If I haven't introduced Alabaster in the next few chapters, someone please remind me to. And, yeah, I definitely want some issues between Ethan and Percy for a while. I'm all for Tethys and Oceanus as parental figures, but I don't think it will happen. Percy is just too independent and has been betrayed by family too many times. More Titans will be involved, including Mnemosyne and Hyperion. I don't know how to handle Helios and Selene if I do use them, since they technically faded. Pan faded because nature had become too fragmented (I think). Plus, I think, only human worshippers count in keeping an immortal from fading, not mythological creatures (since they would fade too?). I will not be switching to Luke/fem!Percy for this story, but I am willing to write a one-shot, or, if I like the idea enough, a proper story with that pairing.

Now, on to what you've all been waiting for for half a year! (Wow, does that sound bad (the length of time, I mean). Sorry, again!) I hope you guys enjoy this!

**Chapter 7**

**Percy POV**

It had been three days since the meeting with Luke. Thanks to plenty of nectar and ambrosia and several long baths, Percy was now almost completely recovered, save for her still healing - and very painful - left shoulder.

Kronos and Iapetus had traded off keeping her company during the first couple of days. The rest of the Titan council had also dropped by to greet Percy. Luke had visited a couple of times so she could catch him up with the what had been happening in Camp Half-Blood. He was particularly interested in how Annabeth and Thalia were doing.

The demigod was, at the moment, escorting Percy to the training arena.

Percy was an excellent swordswoman - the best in the last 300 years - and Luke wanted her advice on improving several moves he had invented.

Percy was somewhat surprised to find the arena rather crowded, considering it wasn't officially training time.

"The demigods like to socialize here," explained Luke, seeing her confused expression. He grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd. "Come on. We're going to use the raised platform in the center of the arena. A lot of the demigods like watching me while I train because they pick up more advanced moves that way." He paused and looked at her. "You okay with that kind of attention?"

Percy shrugged. "Sure. I'm used to it from Camp."

Luke nodded approvingly and the climbed onto the platform using a ladder.

"Luke," growled Percy, when he turned and looked at her expectantly, "how am I supposed to get up there?" She gestured to her bound left arm.

The demigod looked a bit sheepish. "I'm not really sure. We could-"

Percy cut him off with a sigh. "Let me concentrate for a second. I want to try something."

She closed her eyes and focused on her surroundings, _throwing_ out ropes of her power, and _pulling_ in some of the water molecules. She _shoved_ them under her feet and _pressed _them close together, _solidifying_ them. She repeated the process over and over rapidly. Percy opened her eyes a minute later and found herself on a small, but tall platform of ice that was as high as the one she had wanted to get to, and quickly stepped forward before allowing the water in the ice to evaporate again.

Percy wiped away the sheen of sweat that had formed from the exhausting use of her water powers. "Well," she asked Luke, "what do you think?"

Luke was gaping at her. "That was- That was amazing!"

There was a round of applause from around the arena and Percy glanced about, surprised and embarrassed to find the crowd of demigods had seen her display of power.

Luke stepped forward. "As I told you all a couple of days ago, Persephone Jackson has joined us. If you would like to see what all the hype about her is, we are going to spar."

The demigods moved closer to the platform as Percy hissed, "You didn't tell me we'd be sparring!"

Luke shrugged unapologetically. "It was a spur of a moment decision."

Percy growled. "I'm still _injured_, Luke." She gingerly touched her left shoulder. "I won't be able to fight well."

"Nonsense!" Luke grinned, drawing his sword. "You'll do great!"

Percy rolled her eyes, but uncapped Riptide and fell into a stance that would allow her to better defend her left side.

"Ethan!" called Luke, "You're the judge."

The son of nemesis nodded. "Alright. You're fighting until one of you yields or draws first blood."

The contestants nodded in agreement, eyes narrowing at each other.

"And... Go!"

Luke immediately burst into action, swiping at her left side.

Percy dodged and then parried his next strike.

They were dancing now, bodies undulating to an unknown rhythm as they spun around each other, swords clashing.

They both knew the other's fighting style - their strengths and weaknesses - as well as they knew their own.

Their movements flowed so smoothly they seemed rehearsed.

And then, with a quick twisting of swords, the fight ended. Both demigods had a sword at each other's throat.

Ethan broke the silence that had fallen. "It's a tie!"

Immediately, the arena broke into a round of applause and compliments.

Luke smiled out at them and called for silence. "As you can see, even injured, Percy is a brilliant fighter. Once she is fully recovered, she will be nigh unstoppable." Satisfied that the demigods had accepted the demigoddess, Luke continued, "You may go back to what you were doing. Percy and I will just be working on some new moves I'm developing, now." He turned back to Percy. "That was fun."

She grinned as she slowly lowered herself to the ground. "Totally."

Luke looked at her in concern. "I didn't drive you too hard, did I?"

Percy clicked her tongue. "No. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

Luke smiled. "Great! I'll show you my moves till then!"

* * *

Percy was in her room when she heard the door to Kronos' room slam. She raised her hand to knock on the doors connecting their rooms, but hesitated at the last moment.

Why was she so eager to try to help the Titan if something was wrong? Would he even welcome her concern?

She bit her lip and then knocked anyways. "Kronos?" she called. "Are you alright?"

The door was opened a moment later, and the Titan Lord stepped through into her room. "Percy," he greeted. "Yes, I'm fine."

His face was a bit pale and his hair was ruffled. His eyes were a bit bloodshot and he practically _radiated_ exhaustion and annoyance.

"You don't look fine to me," challenged Percy, gently leading him over to her bed and making him sit down next to her. "What happened?"

Kronos ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "The monsters are upset. They want more fights, more spilled blood. It's getting harder and harder to control them. The dracaena queen, Sess, has given us an ultimatum: Either we instigate battles more frequently or she will withdraw her support. They don't seem to understand that our strategy requires a few attacks to judge the Olympians prowess followed up by huge attack on Olympus."

"Oh." Percy sighed, understanding his predicament. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I- Have you ever thought that it might be better if you don't keep the monsters in your army?"

Kronos stood up angrily. "What in the world are you on about, Percy? How in _Tartarus_ are we supposed to win this war without their help? Don't be idiotic!" He was looming over her now, hands fisted in his rage.

Percy was suddenly hit with a memory Gabe in the same position just before he had beat her up so badly that she'd barely been able to walk for several days.

She should have _known_. She couldn't trust the Titans no matter if they were family. _Family_ had proven over and over again that they didn't care about her - all except her mother, maybe. She knew Kronos was probably only restraining himself from hurting her because of how useful she could be.

If she wanted to survive this place, she would need to be agreeable.

Be submissive.

Be how she was with Gabe.

But, at the same time, she couldn't act like there was anything wrong. She had to pretend she was happy and that she hadn't caught on to Kronos' game.

"Right," she said, blinking back tears of betrayal and hopelessness. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. You definitely need the monsters."

Kronos pulled back a bit. "I'm glad you dropped that silly idea."

Percy forced a smile. "I should probably get some sleep. I was out training with Luke earlier and it really sapped my energy. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Of course," agreed the Titan, reverting to his usual personality. "I'll have breakfast with you. Good night." He went back to his room and shut the door connecting their chambers.

Percy took a shuddering breath and reminded herself that once the Olympians were gone she could kill herself. She just needed to hold on for a bit longer and then she wouldn't be subjected to _this_ anymore.

A sudden thought occurred to her. Could she even trust _Luke_?

Yes, she decided, she could. At least until he betrayed her or hurt her too. He had never lied to her except when she was twelve and he _had _to back then; it was a matter of survival.

She could understand that.

**A/N: **Yay! Trouble in paradise! I almost didn't write the second half of this, but then inspiration struck, and, well... Anyways, Kronos probably seemed a little OOC. He's really not. Everyone is more irritable and prone to anger and overreactions when they're tired and frustrated, which Kronos is in this bit. This line of drama will continue for a bit and Luke will get involved and I'll get to put in super cute Luke-Percy sibling bonding scenes. And I'll introduce Alabaster soon, too! (Squeals) I'm so excited.

As you can all tell, I'm hyper right now. I just found out that I totally aced my college math finals (we're talking 104% here, people), and I'm super happy and full of other positive emotions, so, yeah.

Wow, how the Hades did I write something so depressing when I'm so hyped up?

Anyways, I managed to get roughly 1411 words of actual story written (not including the A/Ns). So that's nice.

And I need loads of advice on how to continue from here.

And do we call this pairing Kronercy or something else, because I haven't seen it around much?

Also, are there any really good fanfics out there right now that I should absolutely read? (I prefer reading already complete ones.)

Please, please review!


	8. Chapter 8: Percy

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.

**A/N: **Yay! Update! A year later... Oops. Sorry? I'll try to be better next time?

**Lord Nitro: **The thing with Helios and Selene is that Artemis and Apollo have control of their domains, right now. I could see having them reborn at some point, but Zeus' twins would have to die or fade first, so they would have domains to take over. We'll see...

**Charlee56: **As far as Dragon Speaking Naturally goes, I've tried various other speaking options, and my creativity just doesn't flow. I can't say what I want aloud; I need the filter that my hands provide to be able to get my thoughts down. Plus, my spoken grammar is horrendous. I like your idea about vignettes. Do you think I should do those as separate side-stories, somehow? Or should I put them into this one as interludes?

**iheartmalekith: **My wrist I about as good as it's going to get now. Thanks for your concern! As far as outlines go, I have a very basic one. And I definitely have my ending - in fact, my story is named for it! But thank you for the suggestion! I'm asking for ideas because while I have an end goal in mind, I believe in stories having several ups and downs besides the main conflict. I'm short on those smaller conflicts.

**pandalover9914: **Pernos sounds interesting. pecrytdef came up with Peronos. What do you think?

**ReallyInfinity: **I'm glad you have ideas! I sent you a PM around Christmastime. You haven't replied yet. Did I PM the wrong person, or have you just not been online lately? (I don't mean this in a critical way; I just really want to hear your ideas and I want to make sure that I did get in contact with you!)

**pecrytdef: **Ooh! Peronos sounds interesting. I'll take it into account. pandalover9914 came up with an idea as well: Pernos. What do you think?

**Rikunahyoun: **I'm so glad that you like all my stories! I have to ask, which one is your favorite?

**krigby: **When you say you want to see more of this AU, do you mean you want me to continue this story, or that you also want me to write other stories in this AU?

**Helmetgirl896: **I'm so glad I'm able to get my writing to relate to you emotionally. It really encourages me to write more. Thanks!

**The Ghostwriter's Sister: **Thanks for the music suggestion!

**Ali: **I understand that you're annoyed, but I did have a wrist injury. In addition, I have school—where I'm taking very difficult courses. I hope you don't drop my story over the long update time. Also, thank you for letting me know that I'm ending my chapters on cliff-hangers; that has been my aim since it keeps readers interested.

**CharitinaX: **I meant that Kronos is OOC compared to how I've been portraying him.

**Chapter 8**

**Percy POV**

The next morning, Percy forced herself to forgo wearing her usual long-sleeved t-shirt. If she was going to scrounge up the will to live until the end of the war without the support of the Titans as she'd hoped for, she would have to accept herself. And that meant baring her scars for the world to see.

So she slipped on a tight, black t-shirt and dark blue jeans that were easy to slip in and out of despite her injured arm.

After a moment of thought she threw on a sweatshirt that she would remove once Kronos had left after his daily breakfast visit. She knew she wasn't ready to make herself that vulnerable in front of someone that could kill her with barely a thought. She didn't know what she'd been thinking when she had revealed her abuse to him in the first place.

* * *

Percy entered the arena, eyes searching for her friend.

"Hey, Luke!" exclaimed the girl, walking over to him.

"Percy!" greeted the demigod, pulling her into a quick hug.

"Ethan." Percy nodded to the son of Nemesis Luke had been talking to. She turned to third male in the trio of friends. "You're Alabaster, right? Son of Hecate?"

The boy's green eyes widened. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"Your sister, Lou Ellen, goes on an on about you whenever she gets the chance. With the number of times she's described you in order to make me promise not to kill you, it was pretty easy to recognize you." Percy smiled.

Alabaster's face softened. "How is she?" he asked hesitantly.

Percy bit her lip. "I don't actually know. Last I heard she was fine, but the gods only know what the Campers have been doing to anyone who defended me. And I'm pretty sure she was one of the few that did. I'm sorry."

The brown-haired boy sighed. "It's fine. You can't do anything for her."

"Why were you banished anyways?" asked Luke. "You never did tell me."

The other two boys looked at her eagerly.

Leaning into Luke's side for support—her legs were still sore from her injuries—Percy blushed.

They looked at her oddly.

"Perce, what's with the blush?" asked Luke.

"Well... You see, the gods and Campers were convinced that I let Beckendorf die on purpose because I was, well, in love with you." Percy hurried to get the words out.

Luke recoiled, leaving Percy to flail for a moment. Alabaster grabbed her arm and helped her regain her balance.

"Luke?" Percy asked softly.

"What the Hades, Percy?! Since when are you in love with me? Do you know how disgusting that is? You are—_were—_like a sister to me." Shaking his head with a glare, Luke backed away from her.

"Luke, wait!" Percy shouted after him, wishing she could run after him, but knowing that it wouldn't do her injuries any good—especially after the spar she'd had the day before.

The man ignored her, stalking out the door.

Percy blinked back tears. She should have known. Luke didn't truly care for her. Or else he'd have let her explain herself. It wasn't that she was actually in love with him. She just thought of him like a brother. She had just been telling him what the gods and Campers thought.

And was she truly so despicable—so unlovable—that even the idea of being loved by her made Luke angry? She must be if everyone had turned their backs on her.

"Percy?" called a soft voice, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She turned to Ethan and Alabaster, both of whom were looking at her with pity.

"Are you alright?" asked Ethan.

"Yeah," lied Percy, putting her masked back on and rolling her eyes. "The idiot didn't even let me finish explaining. Just because the Campers and gods are convinced I'm in love with him, doesn't mean I actually am!"

"Well..." said Ethan. "The two of you are pretty close and you _were_ leaning on him just now."

Percy groaned. "He's like my brother. And I was leaning on him because my legs hurt. I did get beat up by a some dracaenae and Hellhounds just a few days ago, you know!"

Ethan and Alabaster exchanged glances, and then the latter grinned. "Alright, then! Ethan and I were going to spar. Since you're way better than us—neither of us has even come close to beating Luke before—would you mind watching and giving me some tips?"

Percy gave him a forced smile. "Absolutely. Can you spar near the wall, or something, though? I really need to sit down."

The two nodded.

"'Course!" exclaimed Alabaster. "Do you mind if I help you over there? You look like you're about to fall over where you stand."

Percy laughed at his brutal honesty. "Go ahead, Alabaster."

She leaned against the teen as he wrapped a supporting arm around her waist and guided her towards a clear spot on the wall. Percy lowered herself down gingerly, wincing as her abdomen twinged at the movement. "Alright. I'm settled." She grinned and waved magnanimously. "Entertain me."

Alabaster let out a laugh and Ethan cracked a smile, but the two did get into sparring position.

"Begin!"

The two boys immediately darted at each other, forgoing the traditional circling. The swords met in a clash.

Ethan disengaged, side-stepping, and then swiped his sword at Alabaster's side. The magical half-blood immediately parried and then retaliated.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Percy was explaining the holes she had seen in Alabaster's stance—he let his left guard down too often and his feet were spread too wide for optimal balance—before moving on to show Ethan how to compensate for having only one eye without being on the defense too often.

"Thanks!" said Alabaster cheerfully.

Ethan grunted his agreement.

"You're welcome." Percy made to leave; she didn't really have a reason to stick around.

"Wait!" exclaimed Alabaster.

Percy turned back around. "Yes?" She was being curt, she knew, but the pain from Luke's 'rejection' of her still haunted her.

Alabaster exchanged a quick, nervous glance with Ethan. "How do you feel about joining us for pizza and a movie? A couple of the other demigods will be joining us too so you can get to know more people, if you like."

Percy tilted her head in consideration. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. And as long as she down a small vial of nectar beforehand, the pain from her injuries would be numbed enough that she could deal with it without getting cranky as she was wont to do when in pain...

"Yeah. Why not?"

**A/N: **So? How was it? Please leave a review and let me know. The reviews are what really get me through writing the next chapter...

Again, let me know if you have any plot ideas—preferably through PM so we can discuss them. But if you're a guest, reviews are great too!

I think I like Kronercy and Pernos, but I really like 'y's so I'll go with Kronercy.

I'm trying to work out an updating schedule where I get something out at least once a month, whether for this or for The Sea's Battle. I'll try to alternate updates too, so the next update will be for The Sea's Battle...


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